


What Makes a True Love Affair Story

by iceybitch



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Time, Flashbacks, In Medias Res, Love Confessions, pre-release
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 06:05:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19762126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iceybitch/pseuds/iceybitch
Summary: What makes a True Love Affair Story? Is it the bonds that are forged and strengthened? Is it the "steaminess" of the illicit bond? Or is it the darkness of the night, and the stars in the sky? Or the clashing of swords followed by the crashing of lips?





	What Makes a True Love Affair Story

It’s the middle of the night at the Officer’s Academy, the time when the sky is black and the only light that shines is that of the stars, for the most part. It’s the middle of the night at the Officer’s Academy, the time when students and professors should be asleep or studying in their rooms, especially House Leaders. 

It isn’t the time for a Prince to get up from his bed, unable to sleep, and walk out of his room. It isn’t the time for said Prince to walk towards his main professor, commander, and close friend’s room. And it absolutely isn’t the time for his unspoken desires for her to run rampant in his mind again. But even if it isn’t the time for it, it happens, and now this Prince, Prince Dimitri of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, is on his way to his professor’s quarters. In the middle of the night. At the Officer’s Academy. In silk, ice blue nightclothes. With feelings of love and lust that he knows is forbidden.

**_Alas, it seems Prince Dimitri doesn't realize that a true love affair story always starts during nights like this..._ **

Once the Prince and House Leader of the Blue Lions arrives at the door to his professor’s room, he stops and breathes for a moment, trying to regain his senses or to come up with a good excuse. Tea? No, far too random and odd at this point in the night. Studying for a History exam? No, she would just say that another professor is better with helping him than her. Praying at the altar of the Monastery? It’s too dark out for that, and she isn’t the religious type anyways. A quick spar? Yes, perhaps. She’s the daughter of the famed Jeralt, and she always seems more keen on helping her students out with perfecting their combat performance over mathematics or events in history. 

Slowly, he gently knocks at the door, and quietly asks, "Professor Byleth, may I speak to you?" awaiting any response while he fixes his nightshirt. To his surprise, Byleth softly opens the door a few moments afterward, having still been awake grading papers.

"Ah, what can I do for you, Dimitri? And you needn't call me that, just Byleth is fine," Byleth asks as she opens the door, before yawning. Despite her grading papers all night, it did look like she was preparing to go to sleep, if the revealing nightgown she's wearing is anything to go by.

"I...Er…" Dimitri stares for a moment, looking at the silk, somewhat translucent nightgown that went barely past Byleth's knees. It made for a rather nice contrast from her usual attire to Dimitri, if the suffusion of pink spread across his cheeks was anything to go by.

"Hm?" Byleth tilts her head before blushing in embarrassment herself and covering herself up with her arms, "Oh, right…My apologies, this was the only thing I had left as a nightgown. Manuela gave it to me believing that I could 'attract any man with it'."

_She certainly can..._ Dimitri thinks, before recomposing himself, trying to find the right words to say to Byleth, "Ah. Well...It certainly highlights your lovely figure Pro-Byleth," Dimitri bites his tongue, before speaking again, "But regardless, if you don't mind, I would like to quickly spar with you to prepare for my combat exam in two days."

"Whoever gets the first clean hit wins?" Byleth asks while searching her room for two practice swords.

"Whoever gets the first clean hit wins," Dimitri nods in affirmation, waiting for Byleth to take out two practice swords before returning to the hallway to meet him. She quickly does, and the ones she takes out seem a bit sharper than usual, like they can tear cloth better than a shear. Dimitri pays it no mind and takes his sword from her hand, before making sure he's in the proper stance to spar, which meant to keep his eyes on his opponent...Even if his opponent is unintentionally making him burn with unwanted desires.

_She is your professor, Dimitri, and your parents and Kingdom would never approve of her as your bride._ Dimitri mentally reminds himself, before Byleth realizes that the hallway that they were in is too narrow and obviously too close to the professors’ dorms to be a good spot to train in the middle of the night.

"Dimitri, let's go to the training room if we're going to do this. I don't want to wake anyone up,” Byleth entreats the Prince, fearing what the other professors may do to them if the pair wakes anyone else up.

"Of course." Dimitri agrees, before reaching his hand out to Byleth, like usual. The two gingerly walk to the training room, being careful not to wake anyone else up. Uncharacteristically, not a word is said by either one of them, although while Dimitri attempts to keep his gaze forward, Byleth turns her head to him examines every part of him: his nightly attire, which certainly isn’t as many layers as his armor, his hair, which looks slightly disheveled, to his royal blue eyes, which somehow shine brighter in the darkness of the night than in the light of day. When Dimitri turns his head around to face her, she turns her head away in embarrassment.

Once they arrive, the room is completely dark, so Byleth uses basic fire magic to light up a few of the candles hanging on the chandelier. Now the two can see each other more clearly in this light. Dimitri stares in awe of how the room looks in the dim light of a half-lit chandelier. Oddly enough, the tone for this sparring match feels much different from his usual matches, even those alone with his professor. Maybe it’s their thin clothing that cannot be considered armor in any way. Maybe it’s because they shouldn’t be here right now. Maybe because the dim, yet warm light makes Byleth look even more stunningly beautiful. Maybe because it’s even harder for Dimitri to stoically hide his emotions in the depths of his heart. Whatever it is, he knows he needs to dismiss it and pretend that this is his exam, and he cannot show any form of weakness. He is going to be the next King of Faerghus, after all, and he knows he bears the weight of an entire kingdom on his shoulders.

Byleth signals the two to start and Dimitri charges at her with his sword in hand, poised to strike her shoulder. She parries his blow and rolls behind him to catch him off guard, but he turns around quickly afterward and clashes his sword with her.

“You’re doing well so far, Dimitri,” Byleth compliments him as he repeatedly parries her blows, and she parries his. The two seem equally matched thus far, and almost look like they’re dancing, as they step in perfect rhythm with one another. However, Dimitri soon manages to almost push Byleth to the wall, due to him walking forwards while she walks backward. Just as she's about to be pinned against a mural of Seiros, Byleth kicks Dimitri's sword out of his hand, causing him to go on his knees to grab it while she falls on top of him and lightly pokes his shoulder with her sword to win, before falling onto her knees as well. She puts her sword down and moves closer, to console the defeated prince, smiling at him and whispering in his ear, "You did well."

Such an action caused Dimitri to flinch slightly, before recomposing himself and replying, "I still have much to learn, Byleth, I wasn't prepared at all for you to kick my sword out of my grasp."

"But you didn't freeze, at least. That's more that could be said about the others who I've trained thus far," Byleth notes, before taking her hand and cupping the right side of his face with it. "You're not perfect, but you're getting better. I mean it."

Dimitri pulls her hand away and quickly stands up, gritting his teeth slightly, before snapping at her, "Better isn't good enough when your country expects you to be perfect. Better isn't good enough when you could die at any moment due to the greed of others who seek the throne. Better isn't good enough when you can't save-," 

Byleth narrows her eyes at him, and then moves closer, hand on her heart as she kneels before him, "I know that you have high expectations to live up to once you get home, but for now you are a soldier and a student. Your parents aren't here, and I am. You don't have to always put that facade of being a flawless heir who has no inner demons, it's OK to show weakness in front of me."

_Facades, inner demons, weaknesses… She has you all figured out Dimitri, and she...Does she…? No, that's ridiculous. She'd never._

Dimitri attempts to chivalrously help Byleth up and kisses her hand as a gesture of formality, before taking it in his, and formally thanks her, before going on to say, "However, please allow me to be of assistance to you as well. I want to be useful to you, and I-," Dimitri pauses, catching himself before he recklessly spouts out the unspoken, looking at Byleth's caring yet expectant eyes, "I admire you." Byleth's happy expression falters slightly, as if she was disappointed by his response, which sends Dimitri into an internal panic. Byleth looks down at their interlocked hands, rubbing circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. 

"Dimitri, you're more than just useful to me, you're dear to me. There's no need to look up to me and admire me, I'm only two years your elder and hardly your superior. And besides, your chivalry, kindness, and battle prowess far surpass most of the people that I've met," Byleth looks up at the Prince, and leans in slightly, before continuing on, “You're the only one I can see as my second in command, so please treat us as equals and don't hide any part of yourself from me, especially when we're alone like this."

"You phrase it as if we're lovers."

"Well, do you want that?" she jests, before realizing what she just said and blushing in embarrassment. She expected Dimitri to stare her in shock, or scold her for even offering. And as she predicts, he does stare at her in shock for a moment, but she was not expecting him to lean in towards her soon afterward. And she was certainly not expecting him to gently press his lips towards hers, before pulling away as soon as he realizes what he was doing. 

Dimitri's face turns a rosy shade, before clearing his throat and fixing his collar, "I apologize for being so forward with these foolish unrequited affections, these feelings are wrong, and I've made a fool of myself tonight by acting on them," Dimitri quickly turns away as he says this, mentally chastising himself as he walks away from her, before he feels a tug on his arm.

"Dimitri, it's OK. These feelings of yours are normal, no matter your station, it's OK to develop bonds and feelings. Though, you're right that we shouldn't get into a relationship, however..." Byleth pecks his lips, before continuing, "These feelings of yours are not unrequited."

_These feelings of yours are not unrequited._

_These feelings of yours are not unrequited._

**_These feelings of yours are not unrequited._ **

Such a declaration is music to the prince’s ears, as while yes, he shouldn’t have these feelings, and yes, he knows that he can only marry the noblest of women, he’s not alone. She loves him, and he loves her too, and for now, that’s all he wants to think about right now. His thoughts are interrupted by the teal-haired mercenary-turned-professor sheepishly asking, "Uh, so when did you start h-having feelings for me, if I may ask?"

“I’ll tell you the next time we can be alone like this.”

**_This, this is the start of what makes a true love affair story, but a love affair story is never just about love. It's about night, it's about revealing gowns, and it's about midnight sparring sessions and dueling feelings. It's about giving into temptation, no matter the consequences that lie ahead. And always, what makes a true love affair story is that it doesn't end here._ **

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing something like this, so I could use some constructive criticism on my work. I based most of what Dimitri and Byleth are like based on pre-release information and the fanfiction "The Moonlight's Blossoms" by lyriumghosts, so forgive me if this is a bit OOC.


End file.
